Hey Imperialists!
My brakes have been feeling a bit spongy of late, and they seem
to be getting less effective. They work but they dont work with
as much ease as they used to. In fact, the other day, I could
hear one of them dragging: I came to a stop, pulled my foot off
of the brake and heard that metal screeching sound as the car lurched
forward. This has only happened once, but it concerned me enough to
check the master cylinder. Sure enough, I was low on Brake oil.
The brake oil that was in there was also quite dark. Anyway, I next
checked for leaks, on the inside of the tires,and I havent been
able to find anything yet. There are no leaks coming from the master
cylinder itself. Is it possible that the leaks are going into the
vacuum booster unit? I hear a hissing sound when I put full
pressure on the brake pedal, which usually indicates a leak in the
vaccuum booster. Maybe this is what is giving me less than standard
brake performance. I am no mechanic and this is the first car i have ever
owned, so any helpful opinions would be great!
Also, my Imperial sat in a garage for 16 years without being started once.
I got the car going last year with my uncle, and we checked the original
brakes, everything seemed to be in good condition, except the master
cylinder, which we replaced. Could the brake cylinders
have corroded just sitting there? Thanks again,
Raffi in SF
62 Crown Coupe, 62K original miles
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